The Never-ending Song

This has been one of the toughest battles of my life and I have had a significant amount.  Some people seem to think I was fighting for Ginger because I loved her.  She is a good cat.  I like her a lot. She is not my cat, though.  I have been fighting for her right to remain where she was born  10+ years ago and to continue to live the life she was born to live.  She has always had some assistance from two ladies who lived here previously and for the past three years, from me.  She was one of a small colony and is the last survivor.   Now because of a couple of complaints, she is being forced to leave.  There are more people here who want her to stay than wish her gone.  Apparently majority does not rule.   Rules have been so misinterpreted or defined in a slanted way to make it sound as though I am breaking my contract agreement by providing food to a cat I do not own.  I am not.  The wording in our contracts specifically states that the rules against feeding feral cats do not ap

Despite much advice to the contrary, I did not have Ginger euthanized.  She is still with us, enjoying the sunny morning today, washing up out on the sidewalk after having breakfast indoors.  Tuesday morning she received a Rabies vaccination given by Dr. Watkins, the veterinarian who  cares for my pets. Rabies is a neurotropic viral disease.   It can affect any mammal.  The victim dies a horrible death.  Once it has infiltrated the brain there is no cure.  It is transmitted by saliva, usually in the form of a bite, but can be contracted if infected saliva enters through a scratch or other wound. Fortunately for humans there is an antidote if given soon after the contact.  Two of my children went through this series of injections: my daughter when she was bitten by a stray dog while traveling in the East and my son who was bitten in the ear by a bat in New Jersey.  Fortunately for domestic animals there is a pre-exposure vaccine which can be given by a veterinarian. Controlling R

 Tomorrow morning the Vet will be here to vaccinate Ginger.  A neighbor is bringing her cat over to get a Rabies booster too. Hannah will get a booster DHLPP, which I truly doubts she needs at her age.  I bet her titer in all is good.  But as long as I am paying for the house call we might as well do everything. This has been a rough week.  I have been advised by quite a few people, only a couple who live at JD, several who are caring for feral cat colonies elsewhere, that I ought to have the Vet euthanize Ginger.  We all know that if management succeeds in catching Ginger and taking her to a farm as they are saying, she will try to come back and that will not end well.  But I look at this beautiful, healthy, playful kitty and am torn.  Probably I could not legally have her put to sleep anyway, but who is to know (or care.) My daughter set up the little house I put out for Ginger in cold weather on my porch.  I was forbidden to do this earlier this year.  Ginger has gladly used it

Things have not been going smoothly here at JD lately.  Well perhaps not everyone feels the same way, but those of us who have been fighting for Ginger to stay are realizing that we are apparently unable to "fight city hall".  Inspections one on top of another--- Lots of other issues too that I will not go into. Today a lady who was a resident here a couple of years ago, Roberta, came with Bingo prizes, a yummy snack bar,laden with deviled eggs, turkey & cheese roll-ups, crackers, cheese, home made chocolate covered peanut butter balls and lemonade.  She also brought trick or treat bags for everyone filled with delicious surprises.  She spent over an hour calling Bingo.  Ten of us had come in a bit quiet, possibly some were suffering from aching bones due to the very wet weather (we need the rain so no open complaints.)   Roberta was born full of mountain wisdom.  She is so quick with spontaneous retorts and colloquialisms that are sparkling with happiness and hilari

Things are in the usual turmoil here at Joseph's Dream.  An inspection two weeks ago and now another one this coming week. But all that aside- the issue of Ginger's  continued residency here is still a hot one.  Manger Kathryn Bell seems to believe that if ginger's Rabies vaccination was up to date, the furor would die down.  I did not trust (perhaps wrongly) that the people she contacted to catch Ginger in a live trap and take her to be vaccinated would actually return her here.  So I refused to help with that.  I guess Jeanne, our Support Services Coordinator was finding all this a bit too much.  Last Thursday was her last day here. She has another job much closer to her home and with less stress.  She is a sweet lady and I wish her well. Hannah, my dog, is due for her annual boosters.  My Vet is wonderful and comes here since it is quite impossible for me to take her to the clinic.  So I made an appointment for the 22nd of this month for Hannah and explained about Ging

Fall has finally arrived in this part of Virginia.  Although the harvesting of field corn for silage has past in New England, this arrival of Autumn has brought back to me the days of silage making on the dairy farm in Vermont. We did not have the equipment now used on modern farms.  The corn was cut and bundled in the field. The bundles were tossed on to a wagon which was then hauled up to the side of the large wooden silo, where a chopper stood. No shiny metal silo such as seen now, ours was like an enormous barrel, made of wood staves bound together by metal bands.  It stood upon a cement platform, taller than the roof of the barn to which it was attached.  One man stood on the wagon and carefully tossed the bundles of corn to the track which pulled the corn into the whirling blade of the chopper.  This was a dangerous job-easy to have slipped and slid onto the track and have a hand or arm carried into the blade.  Thank goodness that never happened on our farm. But my sister and

Thursday I spent 1 1/2 hours in a morning meeting with Kathryn and Jeanne. This was the result of a neighbor and I watching an un- identified couple carry a live trap into the office.  We strongly suspected that management would set the trap for Ginger.  So that evening three neighbors and I, on my scooter armed with a high power flashlight, searched the surroundings.  Ginger was dozing in my chair on the porch.  We found no traces of the trap.  The following morning Kathryn called me into the office.  The trap was in a corner covered by a cloth.  She told me they planned to catch Ginger, take her to a local Vet and bring her back.  Then she was to wear a collar with i.d. which would say she was the emotional support animal of a lady who resides in this community (But is too frail to care for a cat), yet willing to claim the cat and have me "teach Ginger" to go to her unit to be fed.  When Metroprop inspectors come and see the cat loose, this lady is to say that the cat sl